Controversial Trump judicial nominee used to be a ghost hunter and has a cult following for his horror novels

Brett Talley was nominated by President Donald Trump
for a lifetime federal district judgeship in Alabama.

He was rated as "not qualified" by the American Bar
Association.

Talley is a former ghost hunter who gained a cult
following with his paranormal writings.

The 36-year-old lawyer nominated by President Donald Trump for a
lifetime federal district judgeship who had never tried a case,
was deemed "not qualified" by the American Bar Association, and
failed to disclose that he is married to a top White House lawyer
also has a history as a ghost hunter, The Daily Beast
reported Tuesday.

Brett Talley, nominated by Trump
to an Alabama vacancy, wrote on his questionnaire to the Senate
Judiciary Committee that he was part of the Tuscaloosa Paranormal
Research Group from 2009 to 2010. The group, according
to its website, searches for truth "of the paranormal
existence."

Talley has also built up a "cult following" as a horror
writer, having written multiple books about paranormal
activities.

"I find it hilarious that no one is writing about his horror
writing. He has a cult following." Stuart Stevens, 2012
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign manager,
told The Daily Beast. "I have to say I wasn't really aware he was
a lawyer as my dealings with him were as a writer on campaign.
He's an interesting, smart guy. But so is Stephen King."

Some of the books he's authored include "Haunted Tuscaloosa,"
"Haunted Alabama Black Belt," and "The Reborn."

In his disclosure form, Talley failed to disclose his
marriage to Ann Donaldson, chief of staff to White House counsel
Donald McGahn. Asked to list any family members who were "likely
to present potential conflicts of interest," Talley didn't
mention his wife.

Donaldson was recently interviewed by special counsel Robert
Mueller's investigators about detailed notes she kept on her
conversations with McGahn, which included discussions the two had
about the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, The New York
Times Times reported.

Mueller's team is investigating whether Trump obstructed justice
by firing Comey. Mueller was appointed as special counsel after
Trump fired Comey earlier this year. The probe into possible
obstruction of justice is a part of Mueller's wider investigation
into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Talley, a Harvard Law School graduate who serves as a deputy
assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, has also
come under criticism from Democrats for never having tried a
case, receiving the rare "not qualified" American Bar
Association rating, and writing comments online such as
"Hillary Rotten Clinton" from his now-private Twitter account.

The White House has pushed back on the "not qualified" label.

"Mr. Talley served as deputy solicitor general for the state of
Alabama, currently serves in the Department of Justice’s Office
of Legal Policy and was recommended by Alabama's US senators,"
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a
statement to The Times. "He is more than qualified to serve in
the federal judiciary."

Talley, one of just a small handful of judicial nominees to get
the "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association
since 1989, could be confirmed by the full Senate as soon as this
week.